SOS Explorer™ meets the world at TEDxMileHigh

The new SOS Explorer™ (SOSx), a flat screen version of the popular Science On a Sphere® (SOS), will make its public debut at the TedxMileHigh: “Make + Believe” event in Denver, Colorado on June 25, 2016. Organizers invited the SOSx team to be an “Experience Partner” with a booth at the expo where the SOSx interactive virtual globe will be on display to the public for the first time.

SOS Explorer™ was developed by the Exploratory Visualization and Outreach section of NOAA’s Global Systems Division(GSD). The NOAA/ESRL/GSD and Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science team wanted to build on the success of SOS and expand the reach of SOS into classrooms, homes, and museums who don’t have the physical space for SOS.

There are two versions of the SOSx technology. SOS Explorer™ Lite is a free introductory version released in September 2015, and available to anyone with a computer. SOS Explorer™ is an exhibit-quality system only requiring a dedicated Windows desktop computer, 4K monitor, and a touchscreen. There are more than 100 datasets for SOSx, including real-time clouds, drought risk, stratospheric ozone, and more.

TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TEDx events are independently organized by local communities to help organizations and individuals spark conversation and connection through local TED-like experiences. The TEDxMileHigh event will be a unique opportunity for the SOSx team to showcase their innovative invention and collaborate with attendees.